Thursday, February 17, 2011

SHAW PREMIERE at NEX

omy.sg and Shaw are the best!

A couple of us bloggers got the chance to visit the Shaw Premiere Halls at Nex and enjoy the experience while watching Rabbit Hole, and my, was it an experience!

First of all, this is my first time at Nex and I never quite believed all the hoolabalulah I've been hearing about it being "big". Because I've drove past it before, and it looks pretty normal sized to me. But that's just from the OUTSIDE. Y'know what they say, never judge a book by its cover and in this case, never judge a building by its outside. ...? Does that make sense?

Ok, anyways, that mall is HUGE. However, I'm proud to say that I did not get lost in the crowds, nor did I get carried away by all the pretty pretty shops that were saying "come, come, come".

I followed the signs straight up to the cinema. For today, I was on a mission.

It was packed! Yes, it was, for a weeknight, really! Don't these people have work tomorrow? But well, I guess Singaporeans do play as hard as they work after all!

So, my date was late and I stood around taking photos of myself.

And then, I got issued my tickets. They Are So PRETTY! They're all silver and printed on High Quality Paper. Yes, definitely high quality. If you use the edge and run it along your arm and you have dry skin you'd get a scratch mark. Tried and tested! I was tempted to draw myself a watch using the edge of the ticket, but then my late date arrives and so we head in.

Reaching the top of the escalator, there is no doubt which way we're heading. There's a little lounge over on the left and its glass panels read "PREMIERE". Yeap, we're Premiere. Feels good.

We're greeted at the lounge by smartly uniformed staff, and the lounge itself resembles one of those business class lounges you'll find in airports.

There were a couple of other bloggers seated and they looked like they were ordering meals. I wondered if there was enough time before the movie for dinner, but before I wondered aloud, one of the staff ushered me into the screening hall.

"Waaaaah." It was a spacious screening lounge that held a capacity of only 48 patrons. Talk about exclusive. And seats were widely spaced-out in pairs. Each pair of seats had a little table top in between them and, y'know what, I wouldn't even call them seats, they were like BEDS. I sat in it and I think there was space for another one of me!

Anyway, it was nice that they were spaced in pairs. I can't imagine reclining the chair all the way back next to a complete stranger. So it was definitely a well thought of design.

Oh yes, speaking of reclining. Have I mentioned that the deluxe leather seat can be reclined? And there's so much legroom! 500mm extra (compared to the regular cinema halls) to be exact!

So, as you hit the recline button, the footrest comes up as well. So nice, it's like sitting first class in a plane. And there were nice, clean, fluffy blankets! Yea, the staff member pointed out to me that the blankets were washed and cleaned after every screening. So that reassurance put my "who-else-has-used-this-blanket" worries aside!

I'm starting to sound like a country bumpkin from Ulu Pandan Road...But guess what? I don't care because I was really THAT impressed!

So, the very polite staff member pointed out to us the button that we could hit if we need customer service, and we looked through the menu for something to munch on during the movie. There was a wide selection of Western-Continental dishes on the menu so it was difficult to decide. So anyway, we settled for something simple. Hot-dog and Fries. I'm not big on eating in the dark. (But the Fries were Good!) I regret not having more food now...

Anyway, I can't wait to head back there again for more movies because the service is so good and I would even say World-Class. Detailed and thoughtful to the point where even when they serve your food and collect the bill, they do it so discreetly that it doesn't affect your movie at all. And I don't know if they meant for this, but the staff only come over when the movie is at a point where not much is happening. So it's not intruding or anything. Why I'm making this a point? Because when this concept of dine-in movies first came out, I thought to myself "How can I enjoy a movie with waiters walking around the cinema hall?" I am glad to say that once again, I've been proven wrong. It was certainly a very pleasant experience, and I sure wouldn't mind watching every single movie this way in the future!

premiere tickets are priced at $20 (off-peak) and $25 (peak), and 3D movies will be priced at $25 (off-peak) and $30 (peak).

premiere is also available for private bookings and corporate events. (I want to hold my birthday party there!)

premiere Halls Quick Facts!
• First premiere halls with dine-in service in a suburban area
• First digital RealD 3D cinema featured for a Singapore premium hall
• Feature deluxe leather seats
• Pre-screen lounge is exclusive to premiere patrons (with a seating capacity of 28 and standing capacity of 50)
• A selection of Western-Continental delicacies along with classic movie munchies served
• Official opening of premiere slated for 17 February 2011 (yes! I got there before you! teehee~)
• During the soft launch period, there will be two screenings per premiere hall. When officially opened, there will be three to four screenings per hall